Read the excerpt from Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique.In the late fifties, a sociological phenomenon was suddenly remarked: a third of American women now worked, but most were no longer young and very few were pursuing careers. They were married women who held part-time jobs, selling or secretarial, to put their husbands through school, their sons through college, or to help pay the mortgage. The key terms in the excerpt most contribute to which of the following ideas?
Which of the following stage directions from part one of Trifles supports the idea that the two women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, are stronger than they may at first appear?
Based on part two of Trifles, what did the bird’s singing most likely symbolize to Mrs. Wright?
Read the excerpt from part two of Trifles.MRS. HALE. It’s log cabin pattern. Pretty, isn’t it? I wonder if she was goin’ to quilt or just knot it? (Footsteps have been heard coming down the stairs. The Sheriff enters, followed by Hale and the County Attorney.)SHERIFF. They wonder if she was going to quilt or just knot it. (The men laugh, the women look abashed.)What is ironic about this excerpt?
Which stage direction from part one of Trifles most adds to the suspenseful tone?
Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.COUNTY ATTORNEY (with the gallantry of a young politician).Which best describes the effect of the word “gallantry” in this excerpt?
What is one advantage of silently reading a play as opposed to listening to an audio recording?
Read the excerpt from Midnight Assassin.Hossack and his wife, Margaret, had nine children, including five, ranging in age from thirteen to twenty-six, who were in the house at the time of the assault.Which best describes the excerpt?
In part two of Trifles, which of the following most supports the feminist theme that women suffer abuses within a male-dominated society?
Read the excerpts from Midnight Assassin and Glaspell’s newspaper article "She Prepares to Fight."Midnight Assassin: But reports soon surfaced that Hossack had abused and threatened his family, and for years his wife had gone to the neighbors to complain of his behavior.“She Prepares to Fight”: Though past 50 years of age, she is tall and powerful and looks like she would be dangerous if aroused to a point of hatred.Which excerpt is biased and why?
Read the excerpt from The Little Foxes.REGINA (to BEN, triumphantly) Exactly. (To HORACE) So I did a little bargaining for you and convinced my brothers they weren’t the only Hubbards who had a business sense.HORACE. Did you have to convince them of that? How little people know about each other! (Laughs) But you’ll know better about Regina next time, eh, Ben? (BEN, REGINA, HORACE laugh together. OSCAR’S face is angry) Now let’s see. We’re getting a bigger share. (Looking at OSCAR) Who’s getting less?Which of the following themes does this reinforce?
Read the excerpt from The Little Foxes.REGINA. (to BEN) Horace would like to talk to you now.HORACE. Horace would not like to talk to you now. I am very tired, Regina—REGINA. (comes to him) Please. You’ve said we’ll try our best with each other. I’ll try. Really, I will. Please do this for me now. You will see what I’ve done while you’ve been away. How I watched your interests. (Laughs gaily) And I’ve done very well too. But things can’t be delayed any longer. Everything must be settled this week— (HORACE sits down. BEN enters. OSCAR has stayed in the dining room, his head turned to watch them. LEO is pretending to read the newspaper) Now you must tell Horace all about it. Only be quick because he is very tired and must go to bed. (HORACE is looking up at her. His face hardens as she speaks) But I think your news will be better for him than all the medicine in the world. BEN. (looking at HORACE) It could wait. Horace may not feel like talking today. REGINA. What an old faker you are! You know it can’t wait. You know it must be finished this week. You’ve been just as anxious for Horace to get here as I’ve been.What does this excerpt emphasize about the character of Regina?
Read the following scene from The Little Foxes.BEN. (very jovial) I suppose I have been. And why not? Horace has done Hubbard Sons many a good turn. Why shouldn’t I be anxious to help him now?REGINA. (laughs) Help him! Help him when you need him, that’s what you mean.BEN. What a woman you married, Horace. (Laughs awkwardly when HORACE does not answer) Well, then I’ll make it quick. You know what I’ve been telling you for years. How I’ve always said that every one of us little Southern businessmen had great things—(Extends his arm)—right beyond our finger tips. It’s been my dream: my dream to make those fingers grow longer: I’m a lucky man, Horace, a lucky man. To dream and to live to get what you’ve dreamed of. That’s my idea of a lucky man. (Looks at his fingers as his arm drops slowly) For thirty years I’ve cried bring the cotton mills to the cotton. (HORACE opens medicine bottle). Well, finally I got up nerve to go to Marshall Company in Chicago.What would be similar about a stage and a film interpretation of this scene?
Which best describes the style of The Little Foxes?
Which of the following most supports the fact that The Chaste Adventures of Joseph: A Comedy is written in an experimental style?
In The Chaste Adventures of Joseph: A Comedy, the garden outside the Potiphar’s home symbolizes growth and natural beauty, and it highlights the
Read the following scene from The Chaste Adventures of Joseph: A Comedy.THE LADY. Such a lovely house, Madam Potiphar!—But what is this quiet room? Your husband's study? MADAM POTIPHAR. (coming in) Oh, this is nothing—merely the room of one of the slaves. Come, dear Cousin Asenath, and I will show you the garden. The pomegranates are just beginning to blossom. ASENATH. The room of a slave? Indeed! He seems to be an educated person! How would a stage interpretation differ from an audio production of this scene?
Which piece of dialogue from The Chaste Adventures of Joseph: A Comedy most reveals Madam Potiphar’s motives for wanting her husband to replace his secretary, Joseph?
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